In honor of this celebration, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) gives us a free ride to the parade and back- a
gesture of good will (often done on Holidays) and much appreciated by its riders. The unused tickets are good for two weeks from the date of purchase, the end date being Friday March 30, 2012. We had not planned a city trip until Easter weekend, which is past the deadline, so we devise a new plan to go in the following Saturday, March 24. We think we will do a museum and dinner but then calculate that in order to use the $29 tickets we will spend over $100-sort of crazy. We decide to dump this plan. I come up with another idea. I will give the tickets away. I see it as my duty to promote more good will by re-gifting our tix to others. Now, how do I do that? There are many places I go during the week where I can ask if anyone would like these tickets-but that does not ensure they will be used. I think the only way to be sure is to go to the LIRR station and select a person (s) ready to buy. That is what I did last Friday.
DO YOU WANT A TICKET TO RIDE?
Tickets to Riders
The off peak trains depart from New Hyde Park at 37 minutes after the hour-10:37. 11:37 etc. I decide against the 9:37, as that is always a crowded jumble of late workers, and early off peakers. My choice for my good deed will be the 11:37. I arrive at the station at 11:15, park near the ticket booth (not a legal spot, but I can jump in and move quickly) and wait by the car. How exciting! I am going to make two people happy. Think mitzvahs, random acts of kindness, paying it forward. Yes, I will share my good fortune. My goal is to locate two unconnected individuals. This way I will enjoy bliss twice. My first likely candidate approaches, a man dragging a small suitcase with one hand and smart-phoning with the other. As I ready myself to pounce, he turns and climbs up the stairs. Guess he already has a ticket. I return to my car. I do not want to look suspicious by
MUST NOT LOOK LIKE A STALKER
standing at the machine. I like the element of surprise. Another rider walks up, a fashionably dressed woman, business suit, perhaps she has a late meeting. Ah, yes! I see her head to the machine, then I follow. I reach her before she taps the screen. "I have an off peak round trip ticket that must be used today, can you use it?" I also throw in the story of St. Patrick's Day. "Yes," I can use it," she says, and thanks me profusely repeatedly. This is good. Just what I wanted. She enters the waiting room. Okay. Still have 15 minutes. There is no one. I am starting to panic. Two men walk up. I have only one ticket but ask them anyway. I explain; they reply, "only going to Woodside, is the ticket good for Woodside? "Yes, I say, "but I need someone to go to Penn, I want it to be fully used." I admire their honesty- they could have just taken it. I retreat to the car. A man pulls his Jeep close, gets out and goes to the machine. I try him. "No, I am getting my monthly pass for April." Oh, I should have figured he was not making a trip; he left his car running. Yikes. Time is running out.
ANYONE COMING TO BUY A TICKET?
I was off to such a rewarding start. I return to stand by my car. Two young men come walking fast; each one looks over at me.
HERE ARE TWO RIDERS
Both smile. I decide I will award my ticket to the second man as he smiles biggest and longest. As the first is buying his ticket, I offer second smiler my ticket-he gladly accepts it. Smiles all around. I am done! I feel as jubilant as the Beatles are singing Ticket to Ride. Enjoy....it follows
Reflections
I repeat my story several times during the day and am met with a great response. At some point though a speck of doubt enters my mind as to the purity of my moral compass. I did in fact got two free round trips. Were these tickets really mine to give away? It is not like I bought them and never got to the city. We did go to the city and back for free. Then I think, well, at least I did not try to sell them-now that would have been bad-not ethical. I did not put them on eBay. I did not hang around the station scalping them. I enjoyed the free trip and re-gifted it to to others. Yes, I can live with that. No sense losing sleep over it. I get so little anyway.
